Unfaithful
by BookWorm37
Summary: Sam's beginning to feel guilty about the act she plays with Pete. SP angst, SJ romance. Song fic with song of the same title. COMPLETE


A/N: I was listening to the radio (common occurance) and when the song 'Unfaithful' came on, I got this idea. Hope you guys like it.

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"You going out tonight, Sam?" Pete asked from the doorway to their bathroom as he watched his fiancée put on make-up and fluff her hair. 

Sam looked up at Pete, "Just for a girl's night in with Janet and Cassie. We're going to watch romantic comedies all night," she lied through her teeth. He knew it, she knew it, and yet she still did it and he still let her.

"Okay, are you coming back tonight?" he asked, knowing where she was really going, but keeping up the act anyway.

"No, I think I'll spend the night. Cassie just broke up with her boyfriend and she's pretty upset right now."

"Okay," Pete said, nodding along, "See you tomorrow then, Sam." He kissed her cheek softly before leaving to go back to the kitchen.

Sam finished applying her makeup and left the house, getting into her car and revving up the engine the radio came on. It wasn't Sam's usual channel, but Cassie had been in the car with her last and had switched it. Her hand hovered over the dial to change the station when the words of the tune began to dig their way into her heart:

_And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful  
and it kills him inside  
to know that I am happy with some other guy  
I can see him dying_

_I don't wanna do this anymore  
I don't wanna be the reason why  
every time I walk out the door  
I see him die a little more inside  
I don't wanna hurt him anymore  
I don't wanna take away his life  
I don't wanna be...  
a murderer_

Her heart stopped as she pulled the car out of the driveway. What the hell? Songs never got to her like this – her life was good. She _wasn't_ cheating on her fiancé … was she? She'd never actually consummated her relationship with her CO, but they did spend a lot of time together outside of work. Was that cheating? In her heart she knew it was.

_I feel it in the air  
as I'm doing my hair  
preparing for another day  
a kiss up on my cheek  
he's here reluctantly  
as if I'm gonna be out late  
I say I won't be long  
just hanging with the girls  
a lie I didn't have to tell  
because we both know  
where I'm about to go  
and we know it very well_

It _was_ just an act – one Sam and Pete both knew too well. They didn't have to lie to each other, but they still did. Why? The song said that it killed him a little inside every time she left for Jack's house … that was all too true. Sam could see it every time she looked into Pete's eyes; every time he held her after having sex. She couldn't call it making love – they'd never had that aspect in their physical relationship no matter how much Pete wanted it.

The rest of the song washed over her as she drove, the lyrics perfectly matching who she was and what she felt.

_I don't wanna do this anymore  
I don't wanna be the reason why  
every time I walk out the door  
I see him die a little more Inside  
I don't wanna hurt him anymore  
I don't wanna take away his life  
I don't wanna be...  
a murderer_

_Our love, his trust  
I might as well take a gun and put it to his head  
get It over with  
I don't wanna do this  
anymore (anymore)_

_I don't wanna do this anymore  
I don't wanna be the reason why  
every time I walk out the door  
I see him die a little more Inside  
I don't wanna hurt him anymore  
I don't wanna take away his life  
I don't wanna be...  
a murderer (a murderer)_

Determination soared through her veins as she pulled her car into Jack O'Neill's parking lot. She pulled out her cell phone and called home. Pete answered on the second ring, just like she knew he would.

"I lied to you," she said, not bothering with niceties and unnecessary introductions.

"I know," he didn't need to elaborate.

"I know it kills you every time I walk out the door to this house, Pete."

"It does," his voice was quiet, as if it would crack if he spoke any louder.

"I don't want to kill you anymore. I don't want to be a murderer – I don't want to be _your_ murderer."

"Then come home, Sam," Pete whispered, his voice horse with emotion.

Sam shook her head, forgetting that he couldn't see her. "That's just it, Pete. I _am_ home. I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry," it was less than he deserved, but it was all she could give. She hung up the phone with tears coming to her eyes. She just didn't want to hurt him anymore – _couldn't_ hurt him anymore.

She looked down at her hands and noticed that she was wearing her engagement ring. She didn't know why she had it on, but it was soon off, and floating around her purse with her cell phone. That was better. Much better. With that simple gesture she felt somehow liberated of something. She didn't know _what_ exactly: Pete was a good guy, he loved her, cared for her, wanted to build a life with her … why didn't she love him? Why did she feel so elated to have ended her engagement to such a good man?

The front door opened and a middle aged man with graying hair stepped out onto the porch. Sam smiled sadly at him, knowing he had heard the car pull up some minutes ago and was probably wondering what she was doing in her car when they were scheduled for their weekly movie night. He was why she didn't love Pete. He was why she couldn't marry Pete. He was who she was meant to be with.

When Sam opened the door and got out of her car, purse in hand, Jack immediately noticed the lack of sparkle on her finger and the wet trails on her face speaking of recently shed tears. His heart went out to her as she walked up the steps to his porch and stood silently in front of him.

"Hey, Carter," he said softly, his voice holding a bit of gruffness only Jack O'Neill could contain while being sentimental.

Sam looked at him, "Jack." He'd retired after a fatal staff weapon blast took out his right knee a year before – the same time she'd started dating Pete. His retirement had been evident after the surgery to put his knee back together resulted in a noticeable limp and near constant pain whenever he was walking. Pete had been a fatal blow.

"Where's your ring?" his voice became softer. That ring had been the wall of rules and honor that stood between them for so long. It was safe for both of them with it on … without it, things got _scary_.

"I took it off," Sam said, stating the obvious.

"I can see that," Jack said, getting a little antsy. "_Why_ did you take it off?"

Sam's eyes met his as she said, "When you break up with someone it's common to take off the ring he gave you."

Jack took that step to close the distance between them, bringing Sam into his arms in comfort. "What happened, Sam?" it was the first time he'd used her name in years. It was safer to just think of her as Carter: the friend; the soldier; not the woman, Samantha.

Sam's eyes welled with tears as she looked at him, wordlessly acknowledging everything she'd done wrong in the past year. "I don't want to be a murderer, Jack."

Jack's heart went out to her as he gently wiped the tears from her face, "You're not a murderer, Sam. Never."

Sam shook her head, "I was killing, Pete. Every time I came here it was killing him inside. I had to make a choice – and this was the choice I made."

Everything became clear to Jack as he looked into her grief stricken eyes and saw the love for him that was hidden beneath the pain. "Why?"

Did she have to spell it out for him? Obviously that's what he wanted. Tears were still streaming down her face when she said, "Because I love you more than I love him. Because I was content with him, but I'm _happy_ with you."

Jack took her face in his hands then, and kissed both her eyelids, followed by the tears streaming down her face, ending with one powerful, loving kiss on her mouth that grew deeper as she reacted to his actions.

She didn't want to be a murderer anymore. She just wanted to be happy. She could be happy with Jack.

Fin

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A/N: So? What do you guys think? I'd really like to hear your opinions about this one. It's the first Pete-friendly story I've ever done! 


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